Topic A: Energy

Alaska’s Status Reduced as Other States Gain in Oil Production

The Wall St. Journal reports that “the energy boom sweeping North America is producing an unexpected loser: Alaska.”

“The state, which staked most of its economy on energy in the 1970s after oil was found on the North Slope, is now competing with, and often losing out to, places with hotter oil fields—especially North Dakota. More people left Alaska than settled in the state between 2012 and 2013, while North Dakota added residents, according to state and federal census data.”

“North Dakota surpassed Alaska two years ago as the nation’s second-largest oil producer, behind Texas. Because its oil output continues to dwindle, Alaska has now dropped to fourth place, after California, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. State officials are now grappling with ways to regain its pride of place.”